


Brothers

by alphashley14



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Asexual Character, Badass Fight Scene, Brotherly Love, Depression, F/M, Father-Adopted Daughter relationship, Overpowered OC cliche, Rumple has a twin brother, This entire thing was written around a fight scene that came into my head, With how crazy the OUAT family tree is why should anyone be surprised?, badassery, past depression, rated for violence and language, twins!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:40:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24301480
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alphashley14/pseuds/alphashley14
Summary: Zelena has kept Rumpelstiltskin enslaved for a year and away from his loved ones and has now killed his son and is using him as a weapon to hurt those he has grown to love. But a ghost of his past, someone he thought was long dead, is about to return. After they were separated at the age of seven, Rumple’s twin brother became one of the most powerful sorcerers in any of the realms. Even gods like Hades fear and respect him for his strength and intelligence. He’s lived a life very different from his twin brother, Rumpelstiltskin. A long life of pain, loss, loneliness, and torment, but also one of love, light, balance, power, and wonder. Two men. The same face. With very similar pasts, but very different presents and futures. With a little help from his daughter Bailey of course, can Allistor Sterling save his brother Rumple from the witch’s clutches and avoid collateral damage?Set during the Wicked Witch arc, begins after Baelfire/Neal's funeral
Relationships: Allistor Sterling (Twin OC) & Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold, Bailey Sterling (OC) & Allistor Sterling (OC), Belle/Rumplestiltskin | Mr. Gold
Comments: 7
Kudos: 13





	1. Separation

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this around two original characters of mine who are actually going to appear in my original work (though their names and appearances are changed), and a pretty good fight scene that popped into my head (but isn't that what half of all fanfictions start at?). It turned into this, I hope you all enjoy. 
> 
> Also, I went back and added a scene to chapter one because of how long chapter two ended up being, so those of you who liked chapter one might want to re-read it before going on to read chapter two. Thank you.

Emma Swan rubbed her temples, fighting off a downright vicious headache. It was her first time being back at the sheriff's station since… since Neal’s funeral. And Zelena was giving the town no time whatsoever to grieve. They had hidden Regina’s heart and Emma had made arrangements for Hook to be with Henry all night so that he would be far away from the conflict. And there was nothing more other than that that they could do. All that was left for there to do was to wait for the sun to go down. Then, it would begin. 

All Emma could do was pray that no one would die tonight. 

She was considering heading over to her parents’ apartment when the door opening caught her attention. A girl, not yet a young woman, walked into the room. Emma had never seen her around town, before. Which was unsurprising considering how many people who _hadn’t_ been part of the first curse had gotten dragged here by the second one. She was no older than seventeen, pretty, with a round face, freckles peppering her nose and her cheeks, and her hair cut as short as it could be without her being mistaken for a boy. 

“Hello there, are you Sheriff Swan?” She asked politely. 

“That would be me.” Emma said, hoping to whatever god that was listening that another problem wasn’t about to present itself. 

“Hi there, I’m Bailey. ” She introduced herself. “Bailey Sterling. You wouldn’t know me, I wasn’t a part of the first curse. Uh, I’m here with a really- a really weird question. At least, I think you’re going to think it’s weird. I’m used to weird, but this is weird even to my standards.”

“Easy, kid. We get our fair share of weird in this town, and nothing you have to ask me could possibly compare to what’s happening now.”

“You mean the whole thing with the Ginger Witch? Yeah, she’s cray-cray.” The girl agreed. “Anyway, my question is actually about my Dad. You see, my Dad and I live- well, not _really_ live, we have our own place back home, but I guess the curse _decided_ we live there, so that’s where we’ve been staying- sorry, I’m getting off track. Anyway, we live on the better off side of town and we’ve scarcely left the house. In fact, my Dad hasn’t- _hadn’t_ left the house at all, I’ve just been going out on my own to scout the town out because we’re new here and all. And then there was a thing where he was having really weird dreams- _sorry_ , getting off topic again. Anyway, my Dad’s first time actually walking around town was yesterday, and everywhere we went, people _freaked out_ as soon as they saw him. Like, running away screaming. Shutting and locking their doors, grabbing the nearest possible weapon freaked out. No one acted that way around _me_ , so it was definitely him. So, we’re new around here. Is there some… weird custom my Dad has broken or something? Because we brainstormed all night and couldn’t come up with a single reason why people would freak like that that made sense.”

Emma gave her a funny look. “I… can’t think of anything like _that_ that would make anyone around here act like that. Who exactly is your Dad?” 

“His name is Allistor.” Bailey said. “You wouldn’t have met him before. He wasn’t a part of the first curse either. We were just passing through the enchanted forest when the curse hit. He’s actually waiting outside in the car. Wearing a mask, of course. It was the only way we could find that didn’t make people flip. You could come outside and meet him.”

“Sure. I don’t see why not.” Emma said. 

“Great! Follow me.” Bailey said cheerfully. And she skipped cheerfully out the door. Emma followed, but before she did, she was careful to grab her gun and put it in its holster. Recent events gave reason to be cautious, and it seemed that there was _always_ trouble brewing in Storybrooke, Maine.

Emma followed Bailey outside and into the parking lot. Other than Emma’s signature yellow bug, there was only one other car in the parking lot, a classic orange mustang. There was someone sitting in the driver’s seat, but Emma couldn’t see their face because they were wearing a brown leather jacket with a hood and a purple mask that concealed their face from the nose, down. Still, there was something familiar about him as Emma approached the window. 

Bailey knocked on the window. “Daddy, I brought the sheriff. Hopefully she won’t totally flip like everyone else, right?” 

The man, Bailey’s father, Allistor, opened the car door and stepped out. “I certainly _hope_ she can clear this up, because I feel absolutely ridiculous going out like this. I look like I’m about to rob someone!” _There’s something familiar about that voice._

“But you _own it!”_ Bailey said. 

Allistor snorted a laugh. “I’m glad you think so, Dearie. You know yours is the only opinion that matters to me. Now, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Sheriff… Swan, right? I really do hope that you can clear this up.” He said, as he lowered his hood and pulled down his mask to show his face. Emma felt her eyes bulge, and she had to stifle a gasp. 

“My name is Allistor Sterling, it’s nice to meet you.” He said, but Emma was hardly listening. Emma had seen those eyes before. Sometimes they were calculating, and glimmering with intelligence. Other times, they were bright with rage, or twinkling with mischief. But the last time Emma had seen those eyes, they had been almost dead, and they were swollen with tears, the heart of the person they belonged to shattered with grief at the death of his son. These eyes were a little cautious, but twinkling with the spirit of a man who was living a happy life. But still, all the same, she knew those brown eyes. She also knew those shoulder-length brown waves, and that smile. 

The face she was looking at looked _exactly_ like the Dark One, Rumpelstiltskin Gold. 

“Okaaaay,” The Gold look-alike said. “Based on that face, I’m going to assume that you know why everyone’s freaking out, because you look pretty surprised. Could you please tell me why? Have I done something wrong?”

Even his voice was the same. That same damn scottish accent. Was this a joke? Was Zelena messing with them, sending in Mr. Gold and making him pretend to be his own look alike with the dagger’s power? In fact, could _‘Bailey’_ actually be Zelena in disguise? The thought made Emma’s fingers twitch towards the gun on her hip, though she knew it would do her little good against the Dark One _and_ the Wicked Witch of the West. 

The consideration passed as quickly as it had come. It made no sense, and though the dagger controlled Gold’s actions, it didn’t control his heart. And even Rumpelstiltskin wasn’t _that_ good of an actor. Even if this was Mr. Gold playing tricks, his eyes would be the same as they had been in the forest: clouded with a deep pain that only time and love could heal. 

“Why has your heart rate increased?” Bailey asked suddenly. 

“S- sorry?” 

“Your heartbeat started beating harder as soon as Allistor showed you his face, your hand momentarily moved towards your weapon, and you are taking too long to formulate a response.” Bailey said, in a manner that was entirely different from the way she had been speaking inside the sheriff’s station. “We have come here unarmed to learn why the sight of my Dad sends people into a fright. Could you please answer the question?” Both of them were looking at her expectedly with their heads slightly tilted. Emma hadn’t met anyone other than Ruby that could hear someone’s _heartbeat._ Was she a werewolf? That was a question for another time. Emma had to find some way of answering their question, or else she didn’t know how this would go down. 

Emma cleared her throat and shook herself, dispelling signs of her surprise. “Okay. You’re right, you do deserve to know why people are treating you that way. But… before I answer your question, I need to make a few phone calls. Nothing bad, I promise. I just-”

“This is clearly a delicate subject, and you don’t want to be outnumbered. Or at least, you don’t want to be alone.” Allistor summarized. “It’s okay. We can wait. Does the sherriff’s station have an office I can sit in or something, or should I just wait out in the car? I wouldn’t want anyone to walk into the lobby and have a heart attack… for reasons unknown.” 

“Yeah, that would probably be wise.” Emma said. 

She took them into her office in the sheriff’s station, then went into the hallway to make a few phone calls. 

As soon as she was out of earshot, Bailey, sitting on the edge of the desk, turned to Allistor and said, “Why do you think she was hesitant to talk to us? And she became wary of me after she saw you. No one’s reacted like that, yet.”

“I haven’t the faintest clue, Stardust. That’s why we’re here.”

“She’s clearly magical, but hers is the magic of an inexperienced light mage. Powerful, but unfocused. If she becomes a threat, I think we can take her.”

“I noticed it too, Stardust. But she’s nowhere near as strong as some of the other magical signatures in town. The Mayor’s magic for instance, it’s mostly dark, but I sensed the potential for light magic, but it’s much more focused. Miss Swan’s magic is definitely stronger, but the Mayor would defeat her easily. As for The sheriff herself, if we end up fighting her, we won’t kill her. I can tell she’s a good person.” Allistor said. 

“I agree. And what about those two magical signatures outside of town? I still think we should have looked into them before coming here.”

“No need. One of them is probably the Witch, considering how isolated it is. I can tell it’s female. The other is male. It’s very dark, and much stronger than anyone else’s in town other than ours. I have half a mind to assume that the witch may be working for someone else, but at the same time, it feels… subdued, somehow. And- I’ll say the same thing I said this morning. It feels so familiar. And there’s this smell lingering around mainstreet that feels familiar, too. But I swear, I’ve never been here, before.”

“Do you think someone else from Eldervair got sucked into this curse, too? Maybe that’s it?”

“No, it doesn’t smell like Eldervair, but it’s familiar, all the same.”

“We’ll finish this discussion, later. Emma just got off the phone with _Regina_ , I think that’s the mayor’s name, isn’t it? Now she’s calling… someone named _Hook_.”

“I hear her too, remember? Let her call as many people as she wants. See if we care.” 

“Pfft, yeah. So, should we tell her where we’re _actually_ from?”

“Well, what did you tell her?” 

“The same thing I’ve told everyone, that we’re not from the enchanted forest but were passing through it when the curse hit.”

“Good, because I don’t think we should tell them yet, if at all. These people seem pretty narrow minded when it comes to magic’s potential. I have to give this Witch a round of applause for her efforts at doing something _different_ , if she’s doing what we think she’s doing.”

“You’re right. Besides, we need more information, don’t you think?”

“Never jump into a pool of water until you know how deep it is. We just stay on this course for now, and as developments arise, we decide what to do.”

“And the _‘Showdown’_ tonight that everyone’s talking about? Shall the Ghost and the Darkness come out to play? Or the Grey Reapers, perhaps? The Steampunk Duo?”

“Oh, we’re definitely going. To watch, if nothing else. And considering we’ve already given the sheriff our names and faces _and_ how easy it would be to just leave, I see no reason to take up a persona if we _do_ interfere. And if we confirm that this Witch is indeed doing what we think she’s doing, she clearly hasn’t thought it through. Maybe we’ll educate her a bit and maybe she’ll reconsider. If she doesn’t… we haven’t had any fun in a good while, have we?”

“I sort of hope she’s dumb and stubborn. I saw her little show at Granny’s. At least, I saw her as she was leaving. They were holding someone’s funeral. Someone _she_ killed, apparently. And she had the gall to crash it. Someone _that_ bitchy deserves to be taught some manners, don’t you think?” 

“As usual Dearie, I couldn’t agree more.” Allistor leaned back and closed his eyes, letting his focus drift to that other mage, that distant magical signature on the other side of town. He was sure he’s never felt it before, but at the same time, it was comforting, familiar. Like an old smell from your childhood that you can’t quite put your finger on, but that you love all the same. 

_Who are you?_ He wondered. _And if we’ve never met, why does it feel like I miss you so much?_ Then he had a thought, but it passed even more quickly than it appeared. _Could it be-? No. It’s been three hundred years. Even if he survived, he’d be long dead by now… Wouldn’t he?_

* * *

“ _Come on, Rumple!” A little voice called out ahead of him._

_“Coming, brother!” Rumple shouted ahead. The other boy stopped at the top of the hill, waiting for his smaller brother to catch up with him. Rumple stopped to catch his breath at the top of the hill. “Al!” He panted. “You know… your legs are longer than mine!”_

_“I’m sorry, Rumple. I was just excited, is all.”_

_“Why do you even bring me along? All I ever do is slow you down.” Rumpelstiltskin asked, looking down at his toes. “Are you sure we’re twins? We’re the same age, but you’re way taller than me.”_

_“Who would I play with if I didn’t bring you? Life without you sounds kinda lonely and boring. And come on, Rum. An inch isn’t_ way _taller. You just haven’t hit your growth spurt yet. There’s a pair of twins in the next village over, and one of them told me that she used to be a lot shorter than her sister. But then she hit her growth spurt, and now no one can tell them apart.”_

_“Yeah, that’s what you keep saying. But how come you hit yours before me?”_

_“I dunno. I guess it’s just the way I am.”_

_“Then I wish I was like you, Allistor.” Rumpelstiltskin sighed._

_“Are you kidding? If you were like me, then who would be like you? I sure would miss you if you suddenly became like me. Besides, you're as like me as anyone’s ever going to get, aren’t you? We are identical twins, after all.” Then, Allistor grinned a smile that was exactly like his own. Despite being an inch taller and two minutes older than Rumple, there was no denying that they were identical twins. Looking at Allistor was like looking in a mirror. They had the same nose, brown eyes, light brown hair that was the exact same length parted the exact same way. It was no wonder that their Papa got them mixed up all the time._

_Allistor turned his back to his twin in a flamboyant manner and pointed forward, into the forest where the two boys were headed off to play. “Now onward! To adventure!”_

_Honestly, Rumple would rather be down at the village with their Papa. He’d end up drunk or beaten up if left to his own devices, and Rumple always hated it when that happened. Allistor on the other hand firmly believed, in his words exactly, that Malcolm was a grown-ass man who needed to get his shit together and that it wasn’t his sons’ job to do it. Rather crude language coming from a seven year old boy, but it was no secret that Allistor had absolutely zero respect left for their father. He only ever cussed if it was about him, or towards the other village boys who liked to bully the sons of the town coward._

_It was also no secret that Allistor’s energy and optimism was absolutely contagious. He had a talent for putting Rumple in a good mood no matter how bleak the day was. Today was no different, so Rumple found himself giggling and joining his twin’s shenanigans. “Yeah! Come on! Let’s go!”_

_Then, they were charging forwards. Down the path into the forest, where in their imaginations, it seemed that anything was possible. Laughing like a couple of idiots, the twins ran down the path, sending the occasional bird flying out of their way. Rumple halted abruptly when he heard the sound of running water._

_“Do you hear that, my brave comrade?” Rumple asked in the biggest, strongest, most authoritarian voice he could, putting a hand to his ear._

_Allistor stopped a few steps ahead of him and turned around, a look of pure excitement all over his face. He pointed at the sky and declared, “That I do hear it, my even braver comrade!” The two liked to call each other brave whenever they played their games. Perhaps as a way to make up for the number of times a day they were called_ ‘chicken’ _,_ ‘coward’ _,_ ‘coward’s sons’ _, or anything else similar by the other children and even some of the adults in their village._

_Rumple pointed in the direction of the sound with a similar flourish that his brother had done a minute before. “That way flows a mighty river!” He said._

_“We grow quite hot from our travels, comrade! Perhaps the water could cool us off!”_

_“Or maybe there’s treasure at the bottom!”_

_“Yeah! Pretty shells or rocks or even diamonds!”_

_“Or silver and gold!”_

_“Haha! I like your thinking, brother! So much silver and gold that we could buy ourselves a castle to live in!”_

_“And more food than we could ever eat!”_

_“Mmm! Yes! Sweet bread and cookies!”_

_“Meat pies and cider!”_

_“Beef and pork!”_

_“You’re making me hungry!”_

_“Yeah me too! Besides, we gotta find the treasure, first!”_

_“Then lead the way, brother!” Allistor said. Then, Rumple was leading the charge and they were laughing and running through the underbrush with their arms spread out, pretending that they were flying there instead of running, following the sound of the creek until it was in sight. It really was a hot day. It looked like such fun to splash in. Maybe they’d even find some frogs or salamanders to play with for a while._

_“I’m gonna beat you there!” Rumple declared._

_“Bet you’re not!”_

_Rumple pushed himself to run even faster, now. He knew Allistor’ legs were a little longer than his, but he still wanted to get there first, for once. Then, at the edge of the water, he kicked off the ground and went into the cool, clear water with a great big-_

_S P L A S H_

Rumpelstiltskin Gold woke with a start, coughing and sputtering and cursing under his breath. And looking down at him with distaste, now empty bucket of water in hand, was Zelena. “Was- the water really necessary?” He asked, irritated in between coughs. It had even gone up his nose for god’s sake!

“It got the job done, didn’t it?” 

“Couldn’t you just do your usual rude awakening?” Rumple asked, standing up and rubbing his arms, trying to ignore his body’s shivering. The tattered suit he was wearing was hardly appropriate for the cold Maine weather, and now he was soaked down to his underwear, too. 

“Oh, quit your complaining Dark One. It’s time to meet my sister in the town square. As soon as you’re out of your cage, use a little spell to dry yourself off. Then, we’ve got to get going.” She pulled out the dagger for added effect. 

Oh, Lord. It was time for this petty ass _‘Showdown’_ thing Zelena had challenged Regina to. He knew that there was no hope for Regina to win unless she pulled out a miracle. It wasn’t that Zelena was a better student, she simply had more raw magical power and talent than Regina did. 

Rumple stepped out of his small, filthy cage and did as she asked, drying himself off with a wave of his hand. He followed the Witch out the door of the storm cellar and out into the cold Maine air. They had to walk to the border of where Zelena had cast a protection spell over this wretched place before they could use magic to teleport into town. The short walk gave Rumple plenty of time to wonder: _It’s been so long, Allistor. Why am I dreaming about you, now?_

Rumple had lost a lot of people throughout his long life, but one stood out right alongside his son’s loss. His son’s death, so recent, hadn’t sunk in just yet. And it already was gnawing a hole in his black heart that would never be filled. There was another one, right alongside it, that had been there for over three hundred years and it _still_ hurt from time to time. 

Allistor. His twin brother. He remembered that day at the creek, despite how long it had been. He spun and spun and spun to forget, but every memory he had of Allistor was as clear as day. It was kind of hard to forget a face that was identical to yours. That day at the creek was one of the last good memories of his brother that Rumple had. 

He’d been killed just a few weeks later. And part of Rumple had died with him. 

He didn’t live to suffer their father’s abandonment or to apprentice under the wool spinners. He didn’t live to see Rumple grow up, get married, get drafted into the Ogre Wars, only to break his own leg like a coward and flee the battlefield. Allistor would never have called him a coward, even if he thought it. He didn’t live to meet his nephew, Baelfire. He didn’t live to stand by Rumple when Milah left. He wasn’t there when Bae was soon to be drafted into the war. He didn’t live to see Rumple become the Dark one and lose his son… and everything that happened afterward. 

Some of it, Rumple was glad Allistor hadn’t lived to see. But other times… it would have been nice to have a shoulder to cry on. Someone to tell him, in a way that only Allistor could, that everything was going to be alright. When Allistor was around, it always seemed that everything always worked itself out in one way or another. His death had been the first of a long list of tragedies throughout Rumple’s life, and everything had _spiraled_ downhill from there. 

_No_ . Now was no time to get emotional over a loss over three hundred years old. His son’s loss was what he needed to focus on. His son’s loss was what he needed to _avenge_ . Rumple looked over at Zelena. If his brother were here, Rumple could imagine what he’d say. _“She might be a girl, but when you get right down to it, she’s just a bully. Like the other boys when we were kids.”_ Then he’d punch his palm and say, _“She bothering you, brother? You know what I do to bullies!”_ And he’d charge into a fight, even if he had no chance of winning. That was just the sort of person he was. He’d always be there for those he cared about, even if there was absolutely nothing he could do. 

_Gods, why am I thinking about you so much, Allistor? It’s been three hundred years, and you still invade my thoughts at times like this!_

He and Zelena finally reached the border of the protection spell, and the two disappeared in a cloud of green smoke, only to reappear just outside a circle of people who had gathered at the town square. David’s back was to them and everyone’s attention was on David, so no one noticed them. “Listen up! We need you to get back to your homes!” David said. Wisely, Rumple might add. But of course, much like how she woke him up, Zelena just had to rain on that parade. 

“No one’s going anywhere!” Of course, there were gasps and cries of fear and the usual hoo-ha and the crowd parted like the red sea. “This show needs an audience.”

Rumple immediately scanned the crowd for Belle. She wasn’t difficult to spot, wearing a classy plaid shirt and a cute purple coat. They locked eyes. Her beautiful blues were full of longing and worry, brows furrowed in concern. He doubted he looked very different. He wanted nothing more than to run up and hold her. He missed her so much. But the thought of Zelena hurting her, or worse, _ordering him_ to hurt her, made the knots in his stomach tighten until it was physically painful. 

He’d been so preoccupied looking for Belle, he hadn’t been paying attention to Zelena, nor had he noticed that Regina wasn’t there. But he definitely noticed it when Zelena said in a loud voice, “This isn’t good. For anyone. If my sister isn’t here in five minutes… I’m going to let the Dark one off his leash.”

Rumple stole a glance at Belle and hoped that the look on his face said what he wanted so badly to say aloud: _Run. Run and hide. Get away from me. I don’t want to hurt you!_ But as soon as she looked at him, he found himself looking away in shame. Looking away from _everyone_ in shame. He was supposed to be the strongest. Rumpelstiltskin. _The Dark One_ . He was supposed to be the one who could protect those he loved. And now, he was going to be used as a weapon to hurt them with. _Pathetic. Weak. Coward._

Five minutes passed (though it seemed like five hours), and Rumple’s stomach was in knots. 

“Time’s up. Who do you want to kill first, Dark One?” Zelena asked, right up in his face. Rumple looked away from her and clenched his fists, his stomach churning in discomfort at how _close_ she was to him. He wanted to kill her. He wanted to see her die so badly right at that moment. He clenched his fists. He could picture himself doing it. Fingers around her throat. _Snap_. 

Oh, if he were free. If only he were free! 

Hand plunging into her chest, ripping out her heart. Plunging the dagger into her over and over and over. Watching her bleed. Letting everyone see the consequences for caging the beast. 

“He’s not killing anyone.” Emma said, walking up to them. Her eyes darted between them, and he saw sympathy in her eyes when she looked at him. He hoped that when he looked at her, she understood exactly what he was trying to say, the words that the dagger would not allow him to utter. _Help me._

Emma, like the heroine she was, tried to interfere. The keyword, of course, was _tried._ Zelena threw her into her parents like a sack of apples, sending all three of them toppling to the ground. It bought them all of about five seconds. 

“Does anyone else want to give it a go?” Zelena asked threateningly. Just as Rumple’s terror reached its’ highest point, a voice declared, “I do.” 

In his three hundred years of living, Rumpelstiltskin had never been so relieved to hear the sound of someone’s voice. 

“Didn’t anyone tell you? Black is _my_ color.” Regina said. 

“But it looks so much better on me.” Zelena replied with a chuckle that sent a shiver down his spine. 

They exchanged words, then they said something that made Rumple think of his father. 

“I still have one question:” Regina said, “What the hell did I ever do to you?”

“Isn’t it obvious? _You were born._ ” 

A memory came to mind. A memory he hadn’t thought of in years, that happened so long ago that he could barely recall it. Malcolm had blown up about him about something. Rumple didn’t remember what he’d done or exactly what his father had said, just that it was something small, that didn’t warrant such a reaction _at all_ , and he remembered how it made him _feel_ . Rumple also remembered being on his knees, shaking in fear from the weight of his Papa’s wrath. Malcolm had been drunk, and it was one of the few times that his Papa had actually _hit_ Rumple. Right across the face. He didn’t remember whether or not it had left a bruise, just that it _hurt_ . The final thing he remembered was Allistor, no older than six, standing in between the two of them with his little fists raised, ready to _fight_ to protect his brother if he had to.

 _“Papa! Why are you being so mean? What is wrong with you?!”_ Al had shouted at his father. “ _He didn’t do anything wrong! You never treat me like this! Just him! What did Rumple ever do to you?”_

 _“Iz all is’ fault.”_ Malcolm had slurred. _“All iz fault, shoulda just been one of ye, didn’t need two. All iz’ fault._ ”

“ _What? What’s all his fault? What could he possibly have done?”_

 _“Innit obvious, son?... He was_ born _.”_

That night was the last time Allistor ever called Malcolm ‘Papa’. In front of Malcolm, it was ‘Father’ from then on, and the word was always said with absolute distaste. Behind Malcolm’s back, it was ‘Malcolm’. Rumple never stopped calling his father Papa. Despite it all, he just couldn’t find it in him to turn his back on him.

Rumple was snapped out of his thoughts by Regina punching Zelena in the face. He cemented it into his memory and clenched his own fist, wishing that it had been him. 

Still, the fight went about the same way Rumple had predicted it would. Regina performed valiantly, but just wasn’t a match for their difference in raw magical potential. Regina threw a stoplight at Zelena, and Zelena deflected it easily, and then threw Zelena into a car so hard that it left a dent. Regina tried to come at Zelena with a fireball, and Zelena snuffed it out before lifting Regina off the ground by her throat. 

“You can’t beat me, Little Sis.” Zelena sneered. “Everything Rumpelstiltskin taught you, he taught me too. But I was-”

“Holy _shit.”_ A girl’s voice said in the crowd at the same moment that someone let out a loud, strangled gasp. Rumple turned to the source of the voice to see someone was shoving their way through the crowd to the front. They pushed Ruby and another man Rumple didn't know to the side and stepped out into view. 

Brown eyes met brown eyes. When they saw each other, both men froze. 

_No way. No way. It- It can’t be._ Rumple’s mind went blank, even if he told his body to move, he couldn’t have, as if the dagger was telling him to stay still. He couldn’t hear anything other than his own heartbeat hammering in his ears, and everything in his vision had become blurred and dark, everything except _him_ . _Him_ , standing there in a brown leather jacket, jeans, and a buttoned up white shirt. _Him_ , staring at him with a look of absolute awe and shock that without a doubt matched his own. With everything that matched his own. The exact same eyes, the exact same face, even the same hair. _It can’t be- But it is- There’s no way- But he’s right there- He’s alive- There’s no one else it could be- How- I don’t care- It’s you- IT’S YOU!_

 _He_ moved first, when he released the breath Rumple hadn’t realized that both of them had been holding. And when he released it, he asked quietly in a shaky voice, “Rumple, is that you?” 

Only then did Rumple release his own breath. Tears were welling up in his eyes (though he wasn’t sure if they were of joy or a combination of things), and he couldn’t stop them if he tried. And when he released it, he found himself at an utter loss for words, so he smiled. But it got the message across just fine. 

Like a fog being lifted, his twin let out a small laugh, a smile of his own, and finally, _something_ escaped Rumple’s lips. His smile turned into a grin and for the first time in a very long time, Rumple felt a surge of true happiness come over him as he found himself crying out, “ _Allistor!”_

* * *

**About Three Hundred Years Ago…**

_ There are only two men alive who remember the event which I am about to disclose to you, but those two were so very young and it was so very long ago that they do not remember it very well. However, listening to all available sides to the story, it is indeed possible to piece together the truth.  _

_ The memory begins with fire. Everything was burning, and the air was filled with smoke, and screams, and dark laughter. The village was being raided by pirates. The people who called it home were either fleeing for their lives, hiding, or being raped and killed.  _

_ No one who remembers this event remembers it well enough to recall exactly why the village was being raided or what circumstances had led them to be where they were when it happened, but the first thing they would be able to recall if you were to ask them was this: _

_ Malcolm, Rumpelstiltskin, and Allistor were running for their lives. The smoke was so thick that the adults struggled to see an inch in front of their faces. The children however, were small enough that they were walking right under the smoke. And so, each of the twins had one of their fathers hands and they were leading him out of the village, each one praying to whatever god was listening that they wouldn’t be caught.  _

Let us all get out of this. _ The twins said to themselves.  _ And if not me, then let my brother live.

_ It was their father who cost them that. _

_ Had Malcolm been thinking with a clearer head, he may have held it in a bit longer. But the alcohol in his system made his self control slip, and his mind blur like a drop of water smearing ink on a parchment. So, just as they were passing a doorway, an  _ open  _ doorway, Malcolm coughed.  _

_ Both boys froze when Malcolm coughed. Because they both knew without a shadow of a doubt that not only had he just given them away, he had just doomed them all. And indeed, with a wicked yellow smile and cruel, mad eyes, a pirate stepped out of the hut. He pulled out his sword, and he started to advance. One of the boys, to this day neither one could remember which, yelled, “RUN!” And the family began to do just that.  _

_ What happened next differs depending on which brother you ask, but once given time to properly talk it out, with a heavy heart, they both were forced to accept the truth.  _

_ Prior to being reunited with Allistor as an adult, were you to ask Rumpelstiltskin how he lost his twin brother ( _ if  _ you could get him to tell you, that is), he would tell you that as they were running, either Allistor tripped, or the pirate caught up with them and grabbed Allistor. And like the coward he was, instead of turning around and making any attempt to save his son, Malcolm picked up his one remaining child and fled.  _

_ If you were to ask Allistor how he lost his first family (Keep in mind, the only person he’d ever tell this story is his daughter Bailey), what he would tell you is very different. As they were running, the pirate was gaining on them. Why he did it remains unclear. His own sense of self-preservation? Or perhaps he had just been stuck with something he didn’t want for the past seven years, and now here was a golden opportunity to get rid of it. Whatever the reason, Malcolm grabbed Allistor roughly and firmly by the shoulder. Little Al barely had time to look over at his father in confusion before his father was saying, “Goodbye, Rumple.” And the next thing Allistor knew, his father had shoved him backwards and thrown Rumple over his shoulder in one motion. Allistor tried to right his footing, and he tried to run. But strong fingers wrapped around his little arm before he got the chance.  _

_ It would take nearly an hour for Malcolm to realize his mistake, when they were a good enough distance away and he finally set his one remaining son down only for the sobbing, traumatized boy to cry out, “Why would you do that, Papa? Where’s Al? We have to go back! We have to get Allistor!” The boys were identical. It had been too easy for Malcolm to forget which was which, and even easier for him to mistake one son for the one he hated. For the one that had been born with the mark of a savior, the one he blamed for his wife leaving. And in the days and weeks that followed, huddled in a little ball in whatever corner they were squatting in at the time, little Rumple, little grieving,  _ traumatized  _ Rumple, would rock himself and mutter, “Papa wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t throw Al away. Al tripped. He must have tripped. Or the pirate caught him, but it wasn’t Papa. Papa wouldn’t… he wouldn’t, he wouldn’t… he didn’t.”... until the truth became a repressed memory and a comforting lie took its place. _

_ In either case, whichever version of the story you hear, this is true: _

_ The last time Allistor saw his twin brother, it was Rumple’s terrified, screaming, tear-soaked face screeching his brother’s name, his legs kicking like mad and one little hand reaching out vainly for his other half as he was carried away into a wall of smoke, pirates hot on his father’s tail.  _

_ And the last time Rumpelstiltskin saw his twin brother, Allistor was struggling with everything he had in him in the clutches of a murderer just before the smoke closed around Rumple and his father as he was carried away.  _

_ Both would later come to the same conclusion: no one that the pirates caught in that village had been spared. Both would think that the other had been massacred along with the rest.  _

_ And little did they know, both of them were wrong. _


	2. Bond

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rumple learns a little more about his twin, Allistor learns something horrible, and Zelena slowly comes to the conclusion that she has made a terrible mistake. :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! This ended up being a long one! So long in fact that I went back and gave a scene from this chapter to chapter one, so anyone who read and liked chapter one before I posted chapter two should go back and read it again because, (yes, I am quoting Disney's Beauty and the Beast in a fic with Rumbelle in it) "There's something there that wasn't there before!" 
> 
> Speaking of Rumbelle, I couldn't get any in this chapter or the one before that, but I'll try to get it in here in future chapters because it's the best ship in the whole show! (Sorry SwanQueen, Captain Swan, Swanfire, Golden Swan, Wicked Imp, Snowing, etc... Ya'all have your opinions but as far as I'm concerned, it's FACTS)

When Rumple cried out his brother’s name, Allistor could contain himself no longer. His face lit up like a tree on Christmas and before he even had to think about what he was doing, he was running. His feet hit the pavement hard, and the collision was even harder, not that either brother cared in the slightest. 

Allistor threw his arms around Rumple and hugged him right, burying his face in his brother’s shoulder. He didn’t care how dirty he was, all he cared about was that he was there and he was alive. _Alive!_ Allistor breathed, and the smell that met his nostrils was the same one that he’d been picking up around town (particularly around Mr. Gold’s pawnshop) ever since he’d arrived in town. It had been so familiar, but he hadn’t known what it was or where it was coming from. Now, he knew. And what he was feeling was so explosive he felt like he could burst. 

Rumpelstiltskin couldn’t recall the last time he’d been hugged, and it was enough to make him release a sob as he hugged his brother back. _Allistor! Oh, Allistor! It really is you!_

The hug wasn’t very long, but the second that the two touched, a bond, long since severed by time, was reforged anew. And the feelings it sparked were of love, of _true_ love. And anyone who’s anyone knows that though the path of true love may not run smooth, once started, it’s unstoppable. 

Neither brother wanted to let go, but unfortunately, in his sudden surge of euphoria, one of them had momentarily forgotten that they had no say in the matter. Which is why both of them looked momentarily confused when Rumple suddenly shoved Allistor away. Then Rumple remembered, and his smile turned into a look of sheer horror and panic. “AL, RUN-” Was all Rumple could get out before the Witch silenced him with a flick of the dagger. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” The Witch said. In her shock no doubt, she had dropped Regina a while ago and her full attention was now on them. “But who the hell are you? Why are there two of you? _Howthehell could there possibly be two of you?_ ”

Allistor Sterling hadn’t been in Storybrooke for very long, and he didn’t know all of the context of what was going on. But he knew a threat when he saw one. Almost as soon as Zelena opened her mouth, Allistor came to the conclusion that he didn’t like her. One: he didn’t know how, but she was somehow responsible for his brother shoving him away ( _His brother! Rumple was alive!_ ). Two: He saw the look on his brother’s face. And through that newly repaired bond, which had been forged throughout nine long months in the womb together, Allistor knew that Rumple was not only scared, he was _terrified._ And obviously, anything that threatened Rumple enough to make him feel that way had to be eliminated. Three: Her _voice_ , her manner, _everything about her_ just _screamed_ ‘bitch’.

What he _wanted_ to do was to tell her to shut the fuck up almost as soon as she started talking. What he _did_ was give her a very fake smile, eyes glinting with the predatory gaze of a serial killer who had just chosen his next target, and reply, “The name’s Sterling, Dearie. Allistor Sterling. It seems that you already know my twin. Now, I take it that you’re this… _Zelena_ I keep hearing about. I wish I could say it was a pleasure, but that would be a lie. And I endeavor to avoid those whenever possible.”

“ _Twin?”_ She nearly shrieked. “ _You_ have a twin? And you didn’t think to tell me?” 

“You. Didn’t. Ask.” Rumple seethed. “And I thought- I thought you were dead, Al. How are you-” But with a flick of the dagger, he was silenced. That was when Allistor noticed the vile thing clenched in Zelena’s fist, and when he tilted his head, he identified his brother’s name engraved upon the blade. 

He’d seen that dagger before, but never in person. There was a drawing of it in a book in his personal study. Though when the book had been written, a different name had been inscribed upon it. 

_“Oh,_ ” Allistor said, the pieces of the puzzle finally falling into place. “I see. You’re the current Dark One.” Rumple looked away, and Allistor saw him swallow nervously. 

“I see that look. It’s alright.” Allistor said soothingly, wanting nothing more than to ease his brother’s fears. “I don’t judge you for it. As far as I’m concerned, _what_ you are doesn’t define _who_ you are. Heavens, fate does have a funny way of working, doesn’t it? That certainly explains how you’re still alive after three hundred years, though we’re going to have to have a talk later about how exactly you got out of that village alive, much less how you ended up the Dark One. And don’t worry, when we have that talk, I’ll tell you my story, too. It also explains how the hell a witch of _her_ strength has a mage so much stronger than her under her control.”

“ _Excuse me?”_ Zelena snapped, clearly and rightfully outraged at the blatant insult towards her power. 

“Bitch, did I fuckin’ stutter?” He asked, his tone starting to darken. There was a visible shudder through the crowd. Some people, Ruby included, had looks on their faces as if to say, _‘Oh no he didn’t!’_ while others just looked shocked because the number of people in town who had ever heard heard Mr. Gold cuss could be counted on one hand, and seeing someone who looked exactly like him curse had the same effect. 

“Now, family is incredibly important to me.” Allistor continued. “I don’t have much to spare. So I’m only going to say this _once,_ you winy, pathetic _motherfucker_.”

“You _dare-”_

 _“Give me my brother’s dagger, Zelena.”_ And that shut _everyone_ up _._ The entire atmosphere of the town square had darkened. There was a breeze blowing across the road, and in the dim light, Allistor’s brown eyes shone brightly in the dark. They were _glowing_ like sunlight shining through amber, and they glittered dangerously with murderous intent. There was a sort of energy in the air, now. Like the calm just before a storm, and the sheer raw _power_ Rumple sensed was like nothing he’d ever felt before. It was enough for even him, _the Dark One,_ to take a step back from his own brother. 

“Give me my brother back, _or I’ll kill you.”_

* * *

**Six hours ago...**

“How is this even possible?” Regina asked with disbelief borderlining outrage, peeking through the blinds into the room where Allistor and Bailey were currently sitting. Allistor was _not_ Rumpelstiltskin. They may have been identical, but there were too many differences in their habits and mannerisms, Emma could feel it in her gut. That, and when he had introduced himself earlier, her superpower hadn’t so much as twitched.

“I was hoping you could answer that, Regina. Rumpelstiltskin _was_ your teacher, after all.” Emma said. Her phone calls had summoned Regina, David, and Hook. She had wanted to keep the number of people who knew about the Rumpelstiltskin duplicate as small as possible so that a panic wasn’t ensued. It was easier to keep a rational head with a smaller group of people. Upon her arrival, Emma had told Regina about Bailey’s seemingly incredible hearing, and Regina had put up a sound proofing spell around the party as a precaution.

“Well he certainly never said anything to me about having a look-alike, or a clone, or a _twin brother_ walking around or something.”

“Whoever he is or wherever he came from, we definitely still need to keep an eye on him.” Charming said. “If he’s anything like the other one, then he could either be an ally or an incredibly dangerous enemy.” 

“I don’t think so.” Emma said. “He came here of his own free will because he didn’t understand why people behaved strangely around him. He even asked whether or not he had done anything wrong. Honestly, he just seems like a nice guy. The only thing they lied about is where they’re from.” Emma said. When Bailey had told Emma that they had been swept up in the curse while passing through the Enchanted Forest, it was the only time her superpower had detected anything amiss with their story.

“But they _did_ lie.” Regina said. 

“Everyone’s business is their business. Lying about where they’re from doesn’t mean they’re here with negative intentions.” Emma pointed out. 

“That may be true, but it _is_ enough to warrant suspicion.” Charming argued. 

“Hook, you’ve known Rumpelstiltskin the longest, do you know anything that could explain this?” Emma asked. The pirate had been strangely quiet since seeing the exact replica of his hated nemesis, he had a very stoned expression on his face and didn’t seem to be staring _at_ anything, just off into space. 

“ _There’s two of them.”_ He said very seriously in the quietest voice possible. _“They’re multiplying.”_

“The thing he hates most has a double, give him a minute.” Regina said. 

“I don’t think he’d know, anyway.” David said. “He only met Rumpelstiltskin as an adult, and their meetings were few and far between back in the Enchanted Forest.”

“That’s a good point.” Regina said. “But actually, I think I know someone who might be able to give us a little more help than that.”

Ten minutes later, Sister Reul Ghorm, aka The Blue Fairy was walking into the police station. They gave her a brief explanation, to which she suddenly looked more shocked than someone who didn’t know anything about it would be, and when allowed to peek into Emma’s office and actually see Allistor, she nearly fainted. 

After being given a minute to recover from her shock and a cup of tea, the Blue Fairy sat down with all of them in one of the interrogation rooms (with another sound proofing spell around it), and told them what she knew. 

“Long ago,” she said, “There was a young couple, Fiona and Malcolm, and they were very in love. Malcolm, as you know all too well, would later become Peter Pan. But the part of the story you don’t know is mostly about Fiona. It began when, one dark winter, Fiona gave birth to identical twin sons. Allistor was given a name at birth, the couple had chosen it months ago and it was given to him because he was the first to be born. However, the couple hadn’t realized that they were giving birth to twins until the day they were born, so they struggled to find a name for the second son. The boys shared a fairy godmother,Tiger Lily, and there was a prophecy. The prophecy said that the second born of the twins, the one who had come as a surprise and was yet to be given a name, would be a savior who would die saving us all from a great evil. In desperation, Fiona began researching all she could on fairy magic to find some way to save her son. Even going as far as to steal Tiger Lily’s wand. She used it to cast an incantation to turn herself into one of our kind- The Yellow Fairy. But her desperation turned her down a dark path, and an act of Darkness corrupted her magic and she became The Black Fairy. And when this happened, she became the evil that her son was destined to die defeating. She was given a magical item to sever her fate, but she used it on her son instead to sever his fate as the savior.”

“So, wait- let me get this straight. Allistor- if the second born was Rumpelstiltskin- _Gold_ was supposed to be a savior, just like me?” Emma asked, dumbfounded. 

“Yes,” Blue said. “What Fiona did was such a waste. She severed his fate, and so he did not become a savior after all. But still, in an effort to protect everyone from her darkness, she was banished to the Dark Realm. We- we told Malcolm that she died. He blamed his second born, an innocent child, for it.”

“And he named him Rumpelstiltskin out of spite.” Regina said. “I’ve always thought that whoever named him must have hated him.”

“Indeed, he did.” Blue said. “Even though Rumpelstiltskin was no longer destined to be a savior, Tiger Lily continued watching over them as they grew. Malcolm was a terrible parent, especially to Rumpelstiltskin. And despite this, it was Allistor who grew to hate his father as a boy. Malcolm drank, gambled, cheated, and more often than not- got caught doing it. Rumpelstiltskin always worked so hard to protect Malcolm from himself, to keep him on the steady path. He did everything he could to try to make him love him. But Allistor- he was ashamed of Malcolm’s behavior, he knew that as an adult, he should have been able to do better, he just didn’t. Allistor protected his brother from his father, and he was a constant pillar of support. He was so kind, and fiercely protective. Those boys loved each other more than anything else in the world. Tiger Lily told me once that she never once saw them fight, though they disagreed on the topic of their father.”

“So, Allistor really _is_ Gold’s twin brother?” David asked. 

“It’s unsurprising that few people know he has one. It’s very painful for him to talk about.” Blue said. “We truly did fail with those two. Tiger Lily let her diligence slip once, just once, and the family moved while she wasn’t looking. When she found them again, it was just Malcolm and Rumpelstiltskin. What we heard was that Allistor had been killed during a raid by pirates from another land. They were only seven years old when they were separated. Rumpelstiltskin was devastated. We looked high and low for the other boy, but we could not find him. And in every version of the story we heard about the raid, the pirates slaughtered anyone and everyone they caught on the spot. This- I don’t understand, it doesn’t make any sense. There’s no possible way that he’s still alive.”

“Well, he’s sitting in my office, so there _was_ a way, and he did it.” Emma said. 

“Well, if he finds out his twin is still alive, he’d probably be really happy, since they loved each other so much.” David said. “If we tell him what’s going on, that his brother’s here, he would become our ally, he could help us defeat Zelena.”

“We don’t know what he knows and what he doesn’t.” the fairy snapped. “And I fear that telling him would be a very dangerous thing to do.”

“What makes you say that?” Regina asked. 

“He’s very good at hiding it. But I’ve been around for a very long time, and I can sense it.” Blue said, peeking through the blinds. 

Allistor was smiling, clearly very content, sitting very still in Emma’s office chair while he let his daughter braid his hair. 

“Any less experienced mage would undoubtedly be fooled into thinking that he isn’t magical at all, the girl, too. But mark my words, I swear. He- he is very strong.” Later, everyone who was there to hear it would think back on what the Blue Fairy said next. 

“That man is dangerous.” 

* * *

“Give me my brother back, _or I’ll kill you.”_

No one said anything for a few seconds before with a scoff, the witch broke the silence. “Oh? You think so, do you?” She asked. “Well, unless you weren’t paying attention, you saw what I did to the Evil Queen, did you not?”

“I saw.” Allistor said, the menacing aura around him dissipating and his eyes ceasing their glow. “I saw an unmatched altercation between two mages of very different power levels. I think you’ll find that if you decide to fight me Dearie, the match will be even more unequal. However, it won’t be me that’s the prey, nor will it be you that’s the hunter. And I like to play with my food.”

“Oh, but aren’t you forgetting?” She said, tilting the dagger so that he could look at it, “You’re outnumbered, _Dearie_. You may be so certain that you could defeat me, but are you so sure that you could take the Dark One? Or even both of us at once?” 

Rumple’s stomach was in knots. “No. _Please_. Not him. Don’t make me kill Allistor.” Rumple found himself pleading, not even fully realizing that he was saying it aloud. 

“I like the sound of you begging.” The witch purred devilishly. “I’ll have to figure out more ways to make you beg in the future.”

A growl. So loud and so menacing that Rumple felt it vibrating through the ground. It took him a moment to realize that it was in fact coming from Allistor. His eyes were glowing again, his fists were clenched, and was it him, or was there something different about his twin’s teeth?

“Are you _growling_ at me?” 

“Maybe I am, maybe I’m not. Why don’t you come a little closer and find out?” 

“Oh, but aren’t you forgetting? If you fight me, you’ll probably have to fight him, too.” Zelena said. “As amusing as it would be to watch Rumpelstiltskin’s heart shatter into a million little pieces as he wrings your neck, to watch his mind fall back into madness, I need him sharp. And I don’t think that he could take two losses so close together, do you?” Rumple’s heart clenched painfully at the mention of Bae. He had missed his son’s funeral, he didn’t want there to be one for Allistor, too. 

“What are you talking about?” Allistor asked, anger fading into concern.

“Al, _please_ .” Rumple begged. “Just go. Don’t make her make me hurt you. _Please._ ” 

The last of the aggression died on Allistor’s face when he turned to look at Rumple. “Oh, brother mine,” He said, “How much we do have to talk about. For you see, I know you can’t understand it now, and I beg you not to take this as an insult to your strength, for I know you are powerful, but _you couldn’t kill me if you tried_.”

“And what exactly makes you say that?” 

“Why don’t you give it a go and find out?” 

“You’re _insisting_ on starting a fight, aren’t you? Haven’t I told you already?” Zelena approached him so that they were standing but a step away from each other. “You would be facing two against one. And surely whatever amount of power you seem to think you have would be no match for the Dark One. So, why don’t you be a good boy and run along, _Allistor Sterling.”_

“And haven’t _I_ told you already that you, _both of you,_ would lose in a fight against me? Do tell, what exactly makes you so certain that victory would be yours? I don’t know if you’re smart enough to figure this out, but I’m a wild card, Zelena. You don’t know a _thing_ about me. You may be sure of your own ability, but you don’t know _shit_ about mine. In fact, I’m willing to bet you’re bluffing just because you _don’t_ want to get into a brawl with an enemy you know zilch about. But for the sake of my own curiosity, if by the off chance you’re actually _not_ bluffing, do tell… _what makes you so certain?_ ”

“We would win,” Zelena said, “Because _we_ are strong, and _you_ are alone.” 

“What makes you think he’s alone?” The new voice made the entire square turn. There was a girl sitting on the arm of the street light on the sidewalk beside the library. Her legs kicked to and fro playfully, and she observed the three in the center of the square with a winkle of mischief in her pretty hazel eyes. 

“Hello, Stardust.” Allistor said. When he saw her, every muscle in Allistor’s tense body relaxed. “I was wondering where you went.” 

The girl, _Stardust,_ hopped down from her perch and landed gracefully on the street below before skipping over to Allistor’s side. “I went _investigating._ ” She said, rubbing her head against his shoulder. “The grown ups were having more of a pissing match than a conversation, and I found it dreadfully boring, and I knew that the best way to find _truthful_ answers to any questions we might have was to do a little snooping.”

“Excuse me, who the hell are _you?_ ” Zelena demanded. 

“Rumple, I’d like you to meet the love of my life. The _light_ of my life, my daughter, my Stardust. The finest student I’ve ever had the pleasure of training.” He said. 

_I have a niece!_ Rumple thought, thunderstruck.

“It’s nice to meet you, Uncle Rumple. I’ve heard so many stories about you! I just know we’ll be _such_ great friends!” She said with a sweet grin.

 _“Stardust?”_ Zelena asked. “And I thought Baelfire was horrid taste for a child’s name.” 

“Stardust is my _nickname,_ you stupid viridescent whore.” She said in a tone that was a little too merry. “Names give people power over us, so I don’t think I’ll tell mine until _you’re_ a bloody pulp and we’ve secured _my uncle’s_ freedom. Also, only _my Dad_ is allowed to call me Stardust, so just call me Ghost for now, that’s one of my aliases. Sorry for the language, Daddy. I know you told me to work on it, but trust me, _she deserves it._ ”

“Stardust, just for tonight, I think I’ll lift that restriction. You’ve always been a far better wordsmith than I. Particularly when it comes to insults. Now _do tell_ , what’d you find when you went snooping?”

“There’s an old farmhouse in the area where we sensed their magical signatures earlier. Which brings us to question number one:” Her voice dropped so that only the four of them, not the people watching, could hear. “What kind of sick, cold-hearted _bitch_ forces a human being to sleep in an unheated storm cellar in the middle of winter in _Maine_ , of all places?” She asked angrily.

“She _what?_ ” Allistor snapped. 

“People don’t belong in cages.” Allistor’s daughter snarled quietly. “He didn’t even have a bed or a blanket. He’s a _person_ , you Witch. What the _hell_ is _wrong_ with you?” And the look of absolute fury on the girl’s face in that moment made Rumple see the resemblance between her and his twin as clearly as day.

She took a deep breath to compose herself and continued. “As for what I found in the house, breaking in was easy. She’d made _him_ cast the barrier spell with blood magic, but you two are _identical_ twins, so you have the same DNA, so I’m _technically_ just as closely related to _him_ as I am to you, so I literally just walked right through it. Let me guess: you thought _he_ doesn’t have any relatives who are of any concern, but you have your half-sister to worry about, so you bound the blood magic to him? Smart, but _boy,_ did that backfire. You must feel _really_ stupid right now.” Rumple’s niece said, pressing a thoughtful finger to her chin with a smirk.

Rumple decided at that moment that he liked his niece. They were going to get along just fine if they survived this. Zelena was _red_ in the face with anger, and Rumple had to bite his bottom lip to keep from chuckling at how downright _condescending_ the younger mage spoke to the Witch. Oh, yes. _Mage._ There was no way she’d know half of what she just said if she wasn’t one. What she said next was even better.

“Also, yeah, we were right. She’s _totally_ trying to make a time travel spell. Found a broken sword in the attic that just _screamed_ courage, everyone in town’s all gossip about how she’s after someone’s unborn baby, you know as well as I how many rituals involve babies (that’s totally fucked up, by the way), and if I were to make a deduction, part of her reasons for this showdown against her sister was to attain her heart, and if Uncle Rumpelstiltskin is anywhere _near_ as smart as you, I’d say that’s probably where she’s planning on getting the brain from.”

Zelena looked like she’d just swallowed something unpleasant, the entire crowd was muttering amongst themselves, and Allistor was _beaming_ as if to say, _‘That’s my girl!’_ As for Rumple, he was surprised. He’d been trying to figure out what exactly Zelena’s plan was, but hadn’t been able to come to any conclusions. His niece’s theory however, made total sense. Zelena was convinced that she’d been robbed in life, and was literally green with envy for Regina. She wanted a do-over. And his niece’s assumptions about the ingredients matched the theory.

“Why are you surprised? Were we seriously the only two who figured it out?” She asked, addressing the townsfolk. “Every attempt at a time travel spell there’s ever been involves a brain, a heart, and a symbol of courage, but they’ve all failed. I guess they were missing the baby as the last ingredient. It makes sense, too. I mean, I’ve read the Wizard of Oz at least twice, and I’ve seen the movie only like a dozen times, and there are _four_ protagonists (the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and of course Dorothy), not three.”

“And based on _that look_ , I’d say you guessed right, Stardust. What’s the matter, Zelena? _Were they not supposed to know that_ ?” Allistor asked, voice _dripping_ with sarcasm. 

“Oh, I guess they weren’t.” Bailey said as if to say _‘sorry, not sorry’_ . “You know, when I figured out that sword was an ingredient, I asked myself, ‘ _Now that I know the evil plan, how can I fuck this up?’_ So I destroyed it!” 

“You _WHAT?”_ Zelena shrieked. 

“Inside voice, bitchfuck.”

“ _Bitchfuck_ , never heard that one before.” Allistor said, sounding almost impressed. 

“There are a lot of insults in my arsenal you’ve never heard before. They come to me as needed.”

Rumple was completely terrified, confused, and relieved all at once. Terrified, because he knew a fight was happening now, it was just a matter of someone striking first. Confused, because of how non-seriously Allistor was taking Zelena and himself as a threat, and relieved because their lax attitude may very well have been because they were indeed as powerful as they seemed to think they were. 

Then again, the possibility that they were bluffing doubled Rumple’s terror. 

“I completely believe that.” Allistor chuckled. “Now, what say you, Stardust? Shall I go ahead and show them just to get it out of the way?” 

“Go for it.” She shrugged. “Just try not to get any blood on me. You know my other reasons, but it also feels weird as it’s coming off.” 

“I’ll try, but you know as well as I do how little control I have over that.” Allistor said. 

Then he started walking forwards. 

“What are you _doing_?” Zelena asked, sounding a bit more alarmed than intended. 

“Giving you a shot. Go ahead, I won’t defend myself. Kill me, Zelena. If you can. Many have tried, and all of them have failed.”

“Are you _mad?_ ” She asked. 

“Dearie, that is a very likely possibility.”

“Al, back off. She’ll do it!” Rumple pleaded. 

“Oh, I see what’s rotting inside of her, I know she will. _That’s the point_.” 

“No, Allistor, _please._ I can’t- not you too! _I just lost Bae, dammit!”_ Rumple nearly shouted. He expected Zelena to silence him, but she did no such thing. She probably enjoyed the sound of him like this: hurt, frightened, and begging. 

“Hold up, Bitchface Mcgee said that name a minute ago. Bae. _Baelfire._ Who’s Baelfire?” Bailey asked. 

_“And I thought Baelfire was horrid taste for a child’s name.”_ Allistor muttered, quoting what Zelena had said a few moments before. His eyes were wide with shock, and Rumple could see the cogs in his head turning, finally putting two and two together. 

“Bai- _Stardust_ ,” Allistor said, “You said- back at the sheriff’s station- when she challenged the mayor, it was at a funeral. The funeral of someone _she killed_.”

“ _Oh, my God.”_ The girl mumbled. 

“I- I had a nephew?” Allistor asked. He turned to Rumple. “Did you- you have a son?” Biting back tears, Rumple nodded. “His name was Baelfire, I- I called him Bae, though he preferred to be called Neal.” Rumple said. “You would have _loved_ him, and I know he would have really liked you too, Allistor. _Gods_ , I would have loved to have introduced you.” 

“ _Would have_ .” Allistor echoed. His eyes fell upon Zelena, and they slowly hardened like a bull that had seen scarlet. And through their bond, Rumple felt it. The exact moment when intense dislike morphed into something much uglier and much darker: _hate_ . “ _You._ ” He hissed. “Did you- _did you kill his son,_ Zelena?” Allistor snarled. 

“Oh, _please_. Everyone seems so hellbent on pinning the blame for that on me. It was honestly his own damn fault. With magic, you really should be careful to read the warnings-” 

“Answer the God. _Damn_. Question. Zelena _._ _Was it you?_ If it weren’t for you, would Baelfire still be here? _Did you kill my nephew?”_ He shouted the last question, and Rumple could tell that the same unfillable hole that had formed in his heart when Bae died was forming in Allistor’s heart now, too. And Al was furious and grieving- grieving for a boy, for a _man_ that he had never met, but loved all the same. 

“Very well then, if it will get you to shut up.” Zelena said with a sigh, but she was proud of herself. Anyone could see it in her eyes, and in the slight upward curl of her lips. “ _Yes_ , I tricked him. _And now he’s dead_.”

For Allistor, everything sort of went to static for a moment or two after that. His eyes were seeing two things: her, and _red_ . And his ears were hearing nothing of importance whatsoever, the force of what she’d just said had rocked him to the core. He’d had a nephew. _A nephew!_ Not only was Rumple alive, but he had a son! 

_And he was dead_ . He’d been _murdered_. 

Allistor had felt the pain of losing a child more than once. It was a pain he would never wish upon anyone. The knowledge that his brother was feeling it, now- Allistor could _hear_ the pain in his voice when he spoke of his son. He could feel it throbbing through their bond as brothers. 

_No parent should ever outlive their child._

And Allistor let his wrath be felt. The menacing aura, which had surrounded him as a warning only a few minutes before, returned with a passion, even more powerful than before. It was enough to make goosebumps prickle all over Rumpelstiltskin’s flesh, his heart was pounding, and his stomach was doing somersaults of alarm in his belly. Allistor’s eyes were glowing, and there was no denying it now that Allistor’s teeth _were_ different. They were a little crooked, and he had a few gold ones, just like Rumple, but they were sharpened, too. And Rumple knew for certain that they hadn’t been like that a minute ago. And the horns were cause for concern, too. There were _horns_ sprouting from his skull, beneath his hair. Growing and curling to the sides of his skull like a ram. Or like a demon fresh out of hell. A low growl escaped him that was so threatening and so loud that Rumpelstiltskin could feel the vibrations in his chest. 

“A- Al?” Rumple said, but he didn’t think his brother could hear him. The entire crowd was starting to back away in fear. All except for _her_ , his niece. She looked concerned, but there wasn’t even a hint of caution anywhere on her. 

Like an enraged bull, Allistor let loose a roar of fury and charged at Zelena head on. The witch shouted in alarm. 

Before he knew what he was doing, Rumple’s arm shot out. 

There was a blast of light, and a terrible breaking and ripping sound, something warm and wet splashed right onto Rumple’s face, and the next thing Rumple knew, his brother was down, laying in a smoking crater in the asphalt. And he was very still. There was a hint of magic prickling at Rumpelstiltskin’s fingertips so powerful that his hand was actually smoking. 

The Witch had pulled the trigger… and _he_ was the smoking gun. 

In utter shock, for several moments, it was silent and motionless. “Al- A- Allistor?” Rumple croaked. It couldn’t be- it wasn’t- he hadn’t-

“Well, that was anticlimactic.” Zelena said. “I guess he really was all talk after all.” But Rumple wasn’t listening. 

His shaking legs managed to take two steps forwards before he collapsed onto his knees in front of the body. He couldn’t help it as his eyes drank- _drowned_ in the sight of the ever-increasing pool of crimson blood, expanding outwards from Allastor’s head where his skull had split open on impact with the street, and from his torso, from where the initial attack had ripped a gaping hole in Alastor’s side, reducing every organ in its path to bits of tissue that were now decorating the pavement. Rumple wanted to throw up, but he couldn’t. Someone else was though, he was dimly aware of several people retching somewhere in the background. But for all the gore he was seeing, it was Alastor’s face that bothered him the most. His eyes were free of their glow. Blank, dead, _lifeless,_ staring at nothing. _Just like Bae’s were._ His jaw was slack, his features had gone back to normal from where his rage had contorted them. The teeth were normal, and the horns were gone. But Rumple had liked him better that way. Like this, he didn’t look peaceful, he didn’t look like he was in a better place. He looked _dead_. 

Rumple’s trembling fingers came up to touch the wet spot spattered across his forehead, his nose, and one of his cheeks. His fingers pulled back to see the red. _Blood_ . _Allistor’s blood._

“Allistor?” He whimpered. He reached out to wrap his fingers around Allistor’s wrist, feeling for a pulse, _anything_. His brother’s skin was warm, but there wasn’t a single beat of life. Rumpelstiltskin dropped his brother’s hand as though it had burned him. The blood had long since reached his knees, and it was soaking through the fabric of his pants. 

He looked around at the people gathered around and quietly, but loud enough that all could hear, he muttered, “Help me. P- please… ” But no one moved. Hands were up to cover mouths, and eyes were wide with shock and horror. Belle was actually crying. “Oh, _Rumple_!” She cried, shaking her head. 

_No one is going to help. No one_ can _help. Allistor! ALLISTOR!_

Rumple started to tremble. His arms came up to grip his hair. And finally, at long last, Rumpelstiltskin screamed. That sound would come to be known well by the residents of Storybrooke who were there in the town square to hear it, because many of them would hear it again more than once in their worst nightmares. Unless you were there to witness the cause of such a sound, many would question whether or not a human being could make such a sound. It was like the cry of a wounded animal. It was the sound of a man who had just suddenly and horribly lost his son and his twin brother all in the span of three days. It was a sound born from the bottled-up grief and rage of Baelfire’s death coupled with the shock, the horror, the fear, the grief, and the gut-retching guilt that Rumple was feeling, now. He screamed, and then he screamed again until his throat was sore. His arms wrapped around himself so tightly he could barely breathe, he rocked on his toes, but it did nothing to ease the constricting pain in his heart. Tears flowed like water from a broken dam, snot escaped both of his nostrils. This was _ugly_ crying _,_ Rumple couldn’t remember the last time he had cried like this. Oh wait, yes he could. It was the _first time_ he had thought he’d lost Allistor. Allistor. _Allistor. ALLISTOR!_

“Oh, _get up._ ” Zelena said. And on her command, though his legs felt like jelly, he stood without even thinking about it. “Get a hold of yourself, you only had him for what? All of five minutes?” Though the dagger controlled his actions, it couldn’t control his heart. And though her order to _get a hold of himself_ stopped his screams, it didn’t stop him from shaking with his sobs. 

What happened next did. 

Small yet strong arms came from behind to wrap around him in an embrace that was gentle yet firm, and a forehead rested right in between his shoulder blades. 

Almost immediately, Rumple was calm. “Shh,” Allistor’s Stardust soothed quietly.

“Al- Allistor-” Rumple choked, unable to tear his eyes away from the body. 

“I know. I know.” She murmured. “It’s alright. There, now. Dry your tears.” There was an aura around her, but it was different from what Allistor’s had been. His had been dark, angry, as turbulent as his emotions. Hers was calm, soothing, gentle. Rumple could feel his heart rate decreasing, returning to normal, and his breathing slowing and steadying. She gave him one last squeeze before she let go and stepped around him so that he could see her. She didn’t look the slightest bit upset or disturbed. In fact, she looked calm, and there was a small, almost amused smile on her face. And still, she also managed to look understanding. “It’s alright, Uncle.” She said sweetly. “He scared me good the first time I saw it, too.”

“ _Dark One!”_ Zelena snapped. And his legs started to carry him towards her whether he wanted them to or not. 

“Oh? Are you leaving?” Rumple’s orphaned niece asked with a tilt of her head. “You won’t get far, not for long. You can’t leave town, after all. So you might as well stay and finish it, now.” 

“Now that everyone knows what I’m planning, I need a different opportunity to get my sister’s heart.” Zelena snarled. “And I need to replace the ingredient I’d collected that you destroyed, if you weren’t bluffing, that is. As for _this_ ,” She chuckled, looking at the body with a hint of pride. “I’d say it’s finished. _Stardust._ ”

“ _Bailey.”_ She corrected. 

“Pardon?”

“My name. I figured learning it would make my poor uncle feel better. It’s Bailey. Bailey Sterling. And no, this is far from over. In fact, the show just started.”

“What are you talking about?” Zelena asked. But Bailey just smiled and winked. 

She stepped over her father’s body before kneeling down next to his head. “Did you lose your temper?” Bailey asked calmly, sweetly. “That’s alright. I get angry sometimes, too. I know you hate losing your temper. You’re very good at controlling it, and you always get so down when you lose it. So I guess I’m kind of glad it went this way. Now you haven’t done anything you regret, and you don’t have to be sad about it, later. But it’s alright. You’re a person, it’s okay to feel. You know that. It’s also okay to take a moment to collect your thoughts. I know that’s what you’re doing.” Her voice turned a little more serious. “But come on, Dad. Get up. Quit playing around. You’re scaring everyone.”

The entire square was holding its breath, even though they all _knew_ that there was no way he was going to do anything. For a moment, nothing happened. Unless- _no._ It was probably Rumple’s grieving, hopeful imagination, but he could have sworn that Allistor’s fingers twitched. Then Rumple felt something very strange on his face. He looked down. The blood coating his fingers and his pants legs was now running unnaturally down his body, and though he couldn’t see it, the blood that had splattered across his face was doing the same thing. And the blood on the ground was no different. It was flowing as one, as though it had a mind of its own, back to its source. 

Then, Allistor’s eyes moved. From staring at nothing to looking right at Rumple and Zelena. Behind him, Zelena let out a sound of absolute horror, but Rumple didn’t mind. He was transfixed, hypnotized into watching the miracle that was happening before his eyes. As Allistor’s blood flowed back into his body and his flesh and bones started stitching themselves back together, the corners of Allistor’s mouth turned upwards. And before the crowd could so much as gasp, he was laughing. Loud, amused, sadistic, (but not evil) laughter, and it was directed directly at Zelena. 

“You know, Zelena,” Allistor said, “My daughter and I really were the worst people you could have pissed off. We get into fights with people like  _ you  _ all the time. People with more power than good who use their abilities for their own gain to hurt people weaker than them. Sometimes we kill them, sometimes we let them live if we think they’ll change their ways or that they’ve learned their lesson. Part of it’s morality and most of it’s for research and for fun. But you know something? Do you want to know what my  _ favorite  _ part about what we do is?” 

“W- what the  _ fuck _ ?” Zelena shrieked. 

“I  _ love  _ the feeling of my body and my magic responding to the synapses firing in my brain,” Allistor said, rolling over onto his hands. “I love the adrenaline rush that comes when I get an opponent who’s actually fun to play with.” He was kneeling, now. “I love the impacts, the rare close calls, the burning in my muscles, the satisfying sight, taste, and smell of scarlet when I first draw blood. And sometimes, only when it’s someone who  _ really  _ deserves it, I love the kill.” He stood up. His back was to them. “But none of those even come  _ close  _ to my favorite part. Can you guess? Do you know what it is?  _ Do you? _ ” 

He looked back at them. His lips were drawn back in a snarl of rage. His eyes shone brightly with his anger, and with his bloodlust. Allistor had reigned himself in. He was still angry. His wrath hadn’t been dulled in the slightest. But he had control of it, now. Rumple could see white bone sticking out of his cheek where the pavement had taken the skin off of that side of his face on impact, but the skin was growing over it as though it had never happened. And he hole in his side was closing up around his ribs, the blood almost slithering back inside his body where it belonged. 

His daughter came to stand beside him with a satisfied grin on her face. She’d known. It hadn’t surprised her in the least. In fact, her eyes were sparkling with pride at her Dad, as well as with her lust for Zelena’s blood. And they were glowing, too. The brown and green intertwined in the hazel of her eyes reminded Rumple of sunlight shining through a canopy of trees. 

“My favorite part,” Allistor snarled as he finally turned to face them, “Is the look on people’s faces when they realize just how  _ fucked  _ they are!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end scene of this chapter was so much fun to write! I love edginess and badassery, but I also love writing moments with strong emotions. Yeah... I'm one of THOSE writers who pauses while I'm writing every now and then and asks myself... "Do I need professional help?... Nah, this is way too much fun." As I have a cuppa tea flavored with the tears of my readers. :D (Sorry, not sorry.)

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone who's going to bother reading this much less give it a second glance, the beginning of an epic fight ecene is coming in chapter two Not sure how many chapters this'll end up being, but probably not many. But for those of you who love wholesomeness, a pinch of humor, and fight scenes, for those of you who love stories about healing and love that doesn't necessarily have to be romantic, and yes, if you looked at the tags, for those of you who love Rumbelle <3, then this is a story I think you might want to bookmark.


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